ALAN ARCHIBALD has urged his Partick Thistle stars to make the most of a unique Scottish Cup draw - and give Firhill fans something to shout about again.

The Jags head into a fifth round clash with Hamilton tomorrow aiming to record their first win of the campaign over Alex Neil's side at the third attempt.

Accies were victorious on their last trip to Firhill earlier this season before they snatched a point in a six-goal thriller at New Douglas Park a couple of weeks ago.

The fourth round draw has paired the 14 top-ranked clubs together, leaving the door open for a team to make an unexpected bid for glory.

And boss Archibald is determined to make the most of Thistle's chance to embark on a rare cup run.

He said: "It's a strange Scottish Cup draw with so many teams from the top division - and the top two in the Championship - all drawn against each other.

"From the point of view of the supporters and getting people through the door, I think it would be better if the draw was seeded.

"When we watched the draw we wanted someone from a different league,

because in the League Cup we drew St Mirren and we played them twice in five days.

"And we had just played Hamilton when the draw paired us with them again.

"You just want a bit of freshness but there is a massive incentive because you know seven teams with a lot of quality are going out. If you can get through, then it's a great chance to progress.

"If you get through this one and you're lucky in the draw, then you have a great chance. You won't get a better chance, to be honest."

Their run to the Ramsdens Cup final two years ago aside, Thistle have struggled to make an impression in knock-out competitions for quite some time.

Having seen the likes of St Johnstone, St Mirren and Kilmarnock all lift silverware in the past couple of seasons, Thistle have set their sights on an extended stay in the competition this term.

Archibald said: "I got to Hampden once with Thistle, the semi-final against Rangers. I think it's long overdue to get back there. We said the same in the League Cup.

"We have a terrible record in cups in the past decade, because we often went out in the first or second round.

"We want to put that right, to progress and give us the chance to play someone different and hopefully get some fans through the door.

"There is every chance a provincial club could get a wee run and get to a final.

"We know what we're up against with Hamilton because we played them a few weeks ago - but it's a great incentive."

If Thistle could get beyond Accies tomorrow, it would put them on course for a long-awaited return to the National Stadium.

Cup success inspired fans in Paisley and Kilmarnock to come out and back their side in showpiece finals in recent seasons. And Archibald is confident it could have the same effect on the red and yellow army and bring fans flocking back to the terraces.

He said: "When you look at the run we had in the Ramsdens Cup, while it's not as big a trophy to go and win, we had a great turnout.

"There was also the midweek match against Morton when we had 8000 for a big league game so I'd imagine if we got to Hampden then we'd take a big following.

"We took about 10,000 when we played Rangers and it would be great to give something back to the fans."